What a Great Album: Talking Heads, Remain In Light

On my drive to work yesterday I was in a bad mood.  It was Monday.  I was tired. 

And then, a magical thing happened.  I turned on my iPod, put on the Talking Heads, and blissed out for an hourlong drive listening to one of the best albums of all time.  That's not a term I toss around lightly - Remain In Light is truly a great album.

And it's one that I didn't appreciate until very recently.  I was first exposed to the Talking Heads by my best friend's dad, and didn't really get it.  The lead singer didn't sound like a lead singer.  They were kinda schmalzy, goofy.  I didn't think about them for like 10 years.

But the more I heard them later in life, the more I liked them.  I caught wind of Brian Eno and started getting into his tunes.  I listened to My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts, his collaboration with Talking Heads frontman David Byrne, and loved it.  I finally got around to listening to Sand in the Vaseline: Popular Favorites, Talking Heads: 77, and Remain in Light.  Wow.

I can't hope to do justice to Remain in Light with words, so I'll let a couple of the tunes speak for themselves.  Enjoy.

Talking Heads - Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On) (YSI) (filesavr)

Talking Heads - Once In a Lifetime (YSI) (filesavr)

Fun Facts:

• Phish performed Remain in Light in its entirety on Halloween 1996.  It was probably incredible.

• Radiohead is named after a Talking Heads song, "Radio Head".

• The Talking Heads' first gig was opening for The Ramones at CBGB.  

• Everything about the Talking Heads is Awesome.